Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative

Sosiohumaniora - Jurnal Ilmu-ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora Vol. 22, No. 3, November 2020: 382-390 ISSN 1411 - 0903 : eISSN: 2443-2660 READING THE MUSEUM ANGKUT: CULTURAL SPACE PRODUCTION AND EXHIBITION NARRATIVE

Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah Prodi Antropologi, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Brawijaya, Jl. Veteran No. 1 Malang, 65145 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

ABSTRACT. This article is a museum study from an anthropological perspective. Generally, the museum is an institution that stores and preserves particular material cultures. On the other side, a museum can also be critically seen as a space for the production of cultural discourse that narrates a particular ideology through exhibition strategies and display systems. This study wants to explore the discourse of cultural ideology that is represented by the museum through the design and exhibition. The museum is no longer only monopolized by the state but also developed by the private sector which offers a fusion model between the museum, edutainment, and amusement park. Thus, this article proposes a case study of the Museum Angkut in Batu, East Java, one of the most popular private museums in Indonesia that exhibits transportation system and world civilization themes assembled by implementing amusement park concepts. This article would like to address the issue of the production of cultural discourse. The research questions are what kind of cultural discourse production is narrated in the Museum Angkut, and how has it been materialized through the display strategy? Additionally, this article explores the relationship of the visitor with material objects in the museum. This paper uses a hermeneutic approach, and Michael Foucault’s heterotopia to examine how cultural imagination with its ideology is represented in museum bodies. As a result, we argue that the Museum Angkut can reflect the character of society, as a post-colonial nation in the sense of seeing self and other cultures.

Keywords: Museum; other; cultural space; exhibition

MEMBACA MUSEUM ANGKUT: PRODUKSI RUANG KULTURAL DAN NARASI EKSHIBISI

ABSTRAK. Tulisan ini adalah kajian tentang permuseuman dari sudut pandang antropologi. Museum merupakan institusi yang disamping menyimpan objek budaya material, juga sebagai ruang produksi wacana budaya melalui strategi pameran (ekshibisi) maupun tata pajangnya (display). Penelitian ini ingin menelusuri wacana ideologi budaya yang terepresentasikan dari museum melalui perancangan dan tata pajang yang disajikan. Museum saat ini tidak lagi hanya dimonopoli oleh negara, tetapi juga dikembangkan oleh sektor privat yang menghadirkan penggabungan antara museum, edutainment maupun amusement park. Dalam konteks tersebut, tulisan ini mengajukan studi kasus Museum Angkut di Batu, Jawa Timur, sebagai salah satu museum swasta populer di Indonesia yang mengusung tema transportasi dunia dan peradaban dunia tersohor yang dikemas dalam konsep amusement park. Tulisan ini berupaya menjawab persoalan tentang produksi wacana budaya seperti apa yang dinarasikan dalam Museum Angkut dan bagaimana hal tersebut diwujudkan melalui strategi tata pajangnya? Selain itu, artikel ini berupaya melihat relasi pengunjung dengan benda material dalam museum. Untuk mengungkap persoalan tersebut, peneliti menggunakan pendekatan hermeneutik dan sudut pandang heterotopia Michael Foucault, yang mengulas bagaimana imajinasi budaya direpresentasikan dalam sebuah tubuh museum. Hasilnya, kami berpendapat bahwa Museum Angkut dapat menjadi representasi bagaimana museum mencerminkan karakter masyarakat sebagai bangsa pasca- kolonial dalam hubungannya melihat diri sendiri dan kebudayaan liyan.

Kata kunci: Museum; liyan; ruang kultural; ekshibisi INTRODUCTION scientists for exhibiting ‘strange’ or ‘unique’ artifacts. In other words, the museum can be said as a cabinet of Generally, the museum is an institution that stores curiosity (Koentjaraningrat, 1980: 14). Furthermore, and preserves particular material cultures. Also, the those artifacts are mostly originated from communities museum can be defined as a space that tacitly contains outside Europe that were carried out from explorations, cultural knowledge. As a cultural space, a museum can trade expeditions, and colonializations. Constructed by the also be seen as a space for the production of cultural European perspective, these cultural artifacts are narrated discourse that narrates a particular ideology with social, as a symbol of primitiveness and others or exotic cultures political, and economic purposes through exhibition (Svašek, 2007: 215). strategies and display systems (Hall, 2003: 5; Lidchi, 1997: The phenomenon of museums in Indonesia during 168; Marsanto, 2012: 44; Svašek, 2007: 137). Cultural the colonial era also followed the European trend, which ideologies that appear in museums commonly represent focused on the indigeneity, especially ethnographic, power relations which had been occurred in particular archaeological, and historical objects (Rath, 1997: 7; eras (Clifford, 1985: 240; Hooper-Greenhill, 1992: Taylor, 1995: 107). However, the fashion of museums as 168). For instance, in the early period of the emergence a place for “recognizing others” has begun shifting since of museum practices in Europe –from middle age to the independence era. Then, the museum has been used as 19th century– the museums were designed by nobles or a political tool to narrate and construct the national identity DOI: 10.24198/sosiohumaniora.v22i3.26956 Submited: 15 April 2020, Accepted: 27 October 2020, Publish: 10 November 2020 Sosiohumaniora, Vol, 22, No. 3, November 2020 383 and the national imagination (Anderson, 1991: 178; In the context of the museum as a space for the Taylor, 1995: 110). In this post-colonial period, museums production of cultural discourse, the Museum Angkut that are popular in Indonesia are related to the history narrates exhibitions that are quite different from the of nationalism, militarism, local kingdoms, prominent other conventional museums in Indonesia, both in terms figures, and local cultures in order to “identify themselves” of collections and its nuances. Hundreds of collections as a nation (McGregor, 2003: 107). of transportation from various countries and periods are This article wants to tell how the museum, as a placed in buildings with a fascinating architectural design space for the production of certain cultural narratives in and interactive media. Thus, the interplay of those elements Indonesia today, has developed, predominantly since in may manipulatively bring the visitors to be in other places the reformation era within the escalation of global culture. where particular vehicles came from, such as The United In other words, the story telling of the museum today States of America, Italy, France, Germany, and England. has been hybridized between a cultural space and the According to museum management, transportation is a amusement park, in response to the massive growth of the part of cultural products that can represent civilization, mass tourism industry, the development of urban lifestyle spatially, and temporally, so displaying collections in a and consumerism, and the privatization of the museum as conventional way is insufficient. As mentioned on its a business entity (Balloffet et al., 2014: 4). Along with website, “it is necessary to revive the function and identity the development of the contemporary museum, (Balloffet of each vehicle and placing it inside rooms that are made et al., 2014: 9) state that we can no longer give a strict authentic to the specific period and places” (Jawa Timur definition between museums and amusement parks (or Park Group, 2017). This phrase can be interpreted as theme parks) because both emphasize the implementation the Museum Angkut effort to “transport” certain cultural of architectural designs, entertainments, the interactive civilizations (especially Western Europe) as the main technology, and visitor experiences. It differs from the attraction for visitors. previous museum understanding, which is merely a place Based on the explanation above, this article wants to of collected artifacts (Macdonald, 2003: 5; Rectanus, reveal that the Museum Angkut is functioning as a place of 2006: 390; Wardoyo & Zef, 2020: 73). knowledge of the other, more specifically in the frame of In Indonesia, the shift of museum practices can global popular cultures. Therefore, research questions that be seen from the birth of private museums that offers need to be investigated are what kind of cultural discourse edutainment and fascinating architectural concepts, production is narrated in the Museum Angkut, and how adopting the famous Disney Land (Nuffida et al., 2016: has it been materialized through the display strategy? Thus, 55). In the context of “Disneyfication” and the space of this paper examines two problems. First is related ideation cultural production and exhibition narrative, the museum of the Museum Angkut. Second is related to the response is no longer oriented to construct local and national of visitors in interpreting the exhibition’s narrative. Also, identity, but the museum has become a space for popular by correlating those questions, this research wants to and global culture productions (Rectanus, 2006: 383). bring the readers to understand that the Museum Angkut, To illustrate the new museum trends in Indonesia as a contemporary museum in Indonesia, can reflect the and as our case study, this research takes place at the character of a post-colonial society in the case of seeing Museum Angkut (Transportation Museum), Batu City, self and other cultures. East Java. The museum was founded in 2014 by Jawa Timur Park Group, a holding company that manages a METHOD variety of amusement parks in Indonesia. Although this This study interprets the production of cultural space place superficially appears to be a recreational park or and the narrative behind the display. Thus, the hermeneutic an amusement park, the Museum Angkut has a strong approach is felt to be most appropriate by interpreting character as a cultural museum by displaying a hundred cultural practices as a text or language that can be “read” collections of vehicles and means of transportation from to gain a certain understanding (Geertz, 1992: 5). In other different countries, civilizations, and periods. Moreover, words, museums and exhibitions can be treated as texts the existence of the Museum Angkut, as a representation that transmit not only explicit information but also certain of museums in Indonesia nowadays, can be legitimized symbolic meanings or hidden messages relating to the by two reasons. First, the Museum Angkut is considered knowledge system or cultural ideology orientation of its as the best museum among many other museums in constituent units, as mentioned by Stuart Hall (Marsanto, 1) Indonesia, according to the government . Also, it has 2012: 8); been registered by the Indonesian Museum Association “We can say that all these practices ‘work like (Asosiasi Museum Indonesia, n.d.). Second, this language’, not because they are all written or spoken museum is one of the few museums in Indonesia that has (because they are not), but because they all use some the highest number of visitors. In other words, we can element to stand for or represent what they want to say that how people are enthusiastic about this cultural say, to express or communicate thougt, concept, idea 2) space so much! or feeling. Exhibition or display in museum or gallery Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative (Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah) 384 Sosiohumaniora, Vol, 22, No. 3, November 2020

can also be thougt of as ‘like a language’ since it uses RESULTS AND DISCUSSION objects on display to produce certain meanings about the subject-matter of the exhibition.” The Ideation of the Museum Angkut Covering 11 hectares of land on the hillside, the Through this framework, we implemented Museum Angkut is located on Terusan Sultan Agung a qualitative research method by emphasizing on Street, Batu. This place was founded by the Jawa Timur participant observation in order to know how the museum Park Company (JTP). JTP Group, as a leading recreational communicates with visitors through display systems. company in East Java, manages eleven theme parks The display system is related to how the museum (1) where are mostly located in Batu and others in Surabaya, selects and (2) classifies the collection, (3) how to display Lamongan, and West Java. Some places have been the objects, (4) how to describe them, (5) how to direct popular among local tourists such as the Jatim Park 1, visitors in the museum circuit (6) and the ways of creating Jatim Park 2, Jatim Park 3, BNS (Batu Night Spectacular), spaces and other signs. In other words, the form of Eco Green Park, Wisata Bahari Lamongan (Lamongan communication between visitors and museum elements Marine Tourism), Maharani Zoo, and Suroboyo Carnival. can be seen from how the responses and behavior of the This company was founded by a business tycoon from visitors in interpreting the messages conveyed by the Batu, Paul Sastro Sendjojo. Since the beginning of the museum. Data collection was carried out in June 2018. We establishment, JTP has a business vision to develop made observations on weekend days (during peak season). education-based entertainment tourism (edutainment). In total, we made eight visits. This business concept has been implemented, and it In order to construct intersubjective data; indepth became a new paradigm in the museum world since the interviews were also conducted to gain information from a 1970s. By emphasizing on the implementation of the curator and visitors. We interviewed ten informants whom interactive display, edutainment may give a promising we found based on clues from participant observation expe-rience to the visitors (Rheingold in Balloffet et al., activities. In general, the social backgrounds of the 2014: 5). informants are university and school students, employees, The launch of the Angkut Museum was a result of businesspersons. Most of them visited as a group of tourist successful years of Jatim Park 1, 2001-2002, especially trips, families, and couples. during the long Christmas break and new years. Since then, The secondary data were taken from literature thousands of people enthusiastically visited. The revenue reviews, books, journals, news in the mass media, of this business channeled to build the Museum Angkut on including museum brochures. We implement a heterotopia March 9, 2014. The Museum Angkut is divided into twelve (space) theoretical lens in analyzing or interpreting the “zones” with thirty-seven categories of exhibits (vehicles data. Heterotopia (space) is a place where “utopia” or and attractions) that display lots of types of vehicles illusory thing is expressed, contested, distorted, and then such as motorcycles, cars, helicopters, bicycles, wagons, materialized (Foucault & Miskowiec, 2012: 3). We use miniatures, carts, and miniatures of massive transportations this idea in evaluating spatial arrangements of the Museum such as planes and public transportations. The museum Angkut, which are manifested by the representation also offers many attractions such as the costume parade as of western ideology with its material cultures. In other well as singing and dance shows. Each zone has a specific words, there are fragments of time, culture, and place theme that represents a particular cultural landscape; displayed that are solidified in singular space. In short, in scenes of cites in Rome, Paris, London, Las Vegas, Luxor this museum, there are representations of western culture, in Egypt, Hollywood, Indonesian Chinatown, Malioboro, such as a classical Buckingham Palace, retro Texas-style Batavia, and Banjarmasin Floating Market. car garages, and the landmark of European cities. Dwi Cahyono, one of the curators, stated that the In this study, there are two principles of heterotopia ideation of the Museum the Angkut is inseparable from that are interconnected; the first principle is an explanation the JTP Group’s business goals to offer a recreational of the placement of spaces of different cultural mimeses place that is not only entertaining but also educating, in the same place. Second, the principle is related to the modern but having cultural contents and happy but accumulation of time which never stops building the serious. These aspects are the fundamental premises to story (Foucault & Miskowiec, 2012: 3). These principles develop JTP flagship amusement parks in their market of heterotopic events explain what cultural narrative and areas. It also tacitly appears on JTP Group’s icon, the ideation are imagined and how the process of creating Punakawan, figures of Javanese wayang, which has utopic cultural spaces. Furthermore, this concept also helps been interpreted by the owner as figures who bring the explain what form of ‘knowledge’ is represented by the spirit of warmth, intelligence, and excitement. In other cultural space in the Angkut Museum, especially through words, like punakawan, as mentioned on its website, its lay-out strategy. The conclusion part will explain the JTP Group reminds us, “do not forget to laugh enjoying orientation of cultural exhibitions that are lately being life in the midst of business!” (Jawa Timur Park Group, preferred by Indonesian people. 2017) .

Moreover, the owner, Sastro Sendjojo, is very information about vehicles, they still can enjoy an exciting concerned about the museum and cultural things. For and entertaining museum atmosphere. Most visitors Sastro, the existence of museums in the city and tourist usually treat the Museum Angkut as objects of photo or spots is essential, even more for cities which have become selfie, posing-on vehicles, or in front of ‘Las Vegas’ and a tourist destination like Batu. Thus, the amusement parks ‘Hollywood’ backgrounds. From the beginning, the idea of created by JTP Group always emphasize museum and art nomenclature of this museum was “Museum Angkut and gallery nuances, for instance, Ethnic Gallery (Galeri Etnik) Movie Star Studio,” where visitors can feel the sensation in Jatim Park 1, Animal Museum, Museum of Human Body of the famous scene of movie settings. (Museum Tubuh), Museum Angkut, Indonesian Heritage Therefore, visitor’s interest then should be Museum / Indonesian Mask Museum, and World Music materialized into two main features that determine the Museum (Museum Musik Dunia) in East Java Park 3. creative process of the museum scape, which stresses on JTP’s museums deliberately want to differentiate the representation of vehicles and civilizations. Firstly, themselves from others, by ignoring the rigid format of in the case of vehicles, the classification of the mode of conventional museums. There is a standard format of transportations formulated by the museum management exhibitions found throughout Indonesia’s (provincial is diverse, starting from; motorized and non-motorized; or governmental) museums, one invariably first passes human or animal tractions; periods; the number of wheels; through an area describing natural history and physical military, commercial, mass or historic vehicles; land, sea geography of a particular region; then main display area or air transportation, and so on. Secondly, the museum about the culture and history, finally there is an area set management has inventoried lots of slice of civilizations aside as the ‘Ruang Nusantara’ where visual comparisons that have a historical tie with transportations wherein these are made between local artifacts and those from elsewhere places and vehicles are also the dream and fantasy for the in Indonesia (Munandar et al., 2011: 2 ; Taylor, 1995: Indonesian people in general. 116). However, Cahyono said that in order to attract However, the cultural selection criteria are based more visitors, a museum needs to be packaged in a more on their popularity or image, which has been embodied in entertaining and modern way. Indonesian people mindset or mentality. In other words, Moreover, JTP’s museums are private museums that what kind of “dream” can be sold to the visitor? Say it, highly consider profit and loss. Thus, every museum made Western Europe (Britain, France, Germany, Italy) and the by JTP Group applies a theme-park concept. The reason United States (Hollywood and Las Vegas) it) with their why transportation or vehicle, as the main object of the modernity, or Chinatown (pecinan), Malioboro, Batavia, exhibition, also considers market opportunities. Given the Sunda Kelapa, and the Banjar Floating Market with their fact that there are so many automotive clubs that are bound traditionality. So, the mimesis of civilization is a sort of with many kinds of fashions such as classic, type of car/ manipulations of decoration and building assemblages motorcycles, brands, and origins. In some extent, a vehicle that are considered representing strong characteristics of is not only a means of transportation but also a symbol of the places; England is represented by the Buckingham social status, identity, and lifestyle. For instance, cars and Palace, France with the Eiffel Tower, the United States motorcycles have become icons of contemporary culture with the Liberty statue and Hollywood, Italy with the and the symbol of global society (Rectanus, 2006: 383). Leaning Tower of Pisa, or Sunda Kelapa with its harbor. This cultural pattern is translated in the Museum Angkut In regards to the duplication (or the mimesis) where displayed vehicles echo the sense of rarity, luxury, of European civilizations in the museum architecture, uniqueness, valuable, and then those become the “dream (Rectanus, 2006: 391) said that architecture and interior and admired goods” of most Indonesian people, especially design implementations have become as new and essential Europe and American build-up vehicles. 3) elements in the museum project, a magnet to attract Automotive enthusiasts are the first segment targeted visitors by producing global culture discourse. With this by the Angkut Museum, but the designers also consider representation, the architecture and design of the museum general visitors (non-hobbyists) by offering them exciting facade have become important factors in creating new attractions. The creation of an attractive atmosphere, as a relationships between museum visitors and the displayed selling point of the edutainment museum, is an underlying artifacts (collection). Furthermore, today, the museum aspect so that the number of visitors is expected to be show is not only presenting the pieces of the artifacts but increasing (Balloffet et al., 2014: 6). Moreover, objects at also exposing its architectural style. In other words, the the museum present with their cultural and environmental museum, as the physical space, has become the object of context. Thus, it inspires the management to design the exhibition of the museum itself. museum scapes as a museum of the ‘civilization’, from Indonesian vernacular material cultures, Chinatown, Reading the Museum Angkut and its visitors Batavia, America, Europe, even Hollywood, and Las We focus on relationships between museums Vegas cityscapes. Even though visitors are not familiar and visitors in order to verify the response of visitors to with the automotive world and not intending to find any what the creator of the Museum Angkut has conveyed,

Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative (Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah) 386 Sosiohumaniora, Vol, 22, No. 3, November 2020 especially related to the presence of nuances of particular class man who visited with his wife and children, said civilizations. Therefore, the essential things that should that he got carried away to his past memory when he be analyzed are experiences, responses, and also cultural found the display of a red Honda moped (motor bebek) perspectives undergone by visitors when they were on the first floor. He said that his father had once. “I have interacting with exhibition spaces in the museum. a strong memory, my father always gave me a ride to the From a number of selected informants of the school, from junior high school until my sophomore years, Museum Angkut visitors that we have interviewed, most of and we named it BMW, si Bebek Merah Warnanya (the them got information about the museum from social media Red motoped).” Another informant, Jonathan, said that and word-of-mouth marketing, especially for people who museum collections bring his memory back. He also had live outside Malang. The feed posted on social media such the same rides as museum collections, which is a Ford car. as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by visitors attracts He spent much of his time on the exhibition of the Ford car other people to visit and feel experiences. The social section to reminisce about his memories. “The type of this media vibrant through its network has become an indirect car was my 18th birthday present from my parents, my car promotion event of the existence of the Museum Angkut. was the red one,” he explained. The experience that is mediated through video On the other hand, non-motorized or traditional uploads and photos on social media is the main reference transportation collections, such as pedicabs, wagons, for (potential) visitors to come to the Transport Museum. boats, cycles, and so on, do not significantly impress Information received by visitors does not come from the visitors. According to our informant, besides these vehicles web, which is mana-ged directly by the museum but from are regularly seen in everyday life, these vehicles are not social media accounts of their friends and colleagues. For their interest or fantasy, “not something you want to see,” example, Heri and Yani, our informants, said that they knew or “not something to take a picture with.” “Traditional the museum from friends’ instastory. The sense of curiosity vehicles are ubiquitous, they are often seen everywhere,” had crossed after they saw upload contents, especially the Arya said. background of the photos, such as decorations, facades, However, there is a display of a modern Indonesian attractions, and display objects. The sense of curiosity is sporty car, namely Tucuxi, but the response of visitors to expressed into many words “different”, “unique”, “not this object is slightly the same as how they experience the as usual/extraordinary”, “sophisticated”, “modern but collections of other Indonesian transportations, not really classy”, “instagrammable”, or “too good to miss”. attracting. Tucuxi is a prototype of an electric car politically Some other visitors are interested in vehicle developed by Dahlan Iskan, the Minister of State-Owned exhibitions. Let us say, Robi and Toni, private employees Enterprise, 2012, in order to prove that Indonesian from Malang. These men are persons who understand human resources are capable of producing electric cars about the automotive world. Most of the car and motorbike independently. The prototype was test-driven directly by collections displayed are originated from Europe, which himself, but unfortunately, the test drive encountered a also had contributed toward automotive developments technical failure in the brake system, so it crashed into a in Indonesia. Some visitors felt familiar and they have hillside in Magetan. The Museum Angkut gets permission memories with the vehicles, even though they have never to show the crashed car after granting permission from had one. Memories about these vehicles are gotten either Dahlan Iskan. from witnessing from the road, magazine, film or television, Robbi, a university student who is an automotive or being mentioned among automotive enthusiast enthusiast, expressed his sympathy and pride altogether communities as dream vehicles. These “dream” vehicles because the car is juxtaposed with built-up cars, are predominantly European or American productions that “Indonesian people are also able to compete with have become classic or legend cars/bikes, such as Impala, other countries in the automotive technology, although Buick, Cadillac, Mercury Monterey, Mercedes Benz, unfortunately damaged.” Another informant, Tonny, said BMW, Porsche, Ford Mustang, Hummer, Rolls-Royce, in an ironic tone, “indeed this reflects transportations in and Dodge, and so on. Meanwhile, motorcycle collections Indonesia, most of the things which are displayed are that become the center of attention are Euro-America traditional, once displaying a modern and sporty car, the productions such as Harley-Davidson, Triumph, BMW, car is crushed like Tucuxi,” he said. It seems that it is not Norton, Ducati, BSA, and Royal Enfield. too excessive what the informants said, because the vibrant However, some vehicles, either motorbikes or that make them interested in visiting the Museum Angkut cars, are familiar with visitor’s lives, and even more, is to feel and admire the culture of western automotive they have had once, such as Honda, Kawasaki, Toyota, technologies, not their own culture or nation. or Suzuki, Vespa, Volkswagen. These types of vehicles Moreover, the significant visitor’s responses are are not creating the nuance of fantasy or dream but rather related to the zoning of civilizations spatially arranged by romanticizing the journey of life they have been through dividing the world civilization into two sections, Euro- with their rides, which then appeared while enjoying the American and Indonesian-Asian zones. Based on our exhibition of the museum. For instance, Budi, a middle observation, it is not difficult to recognize, which is the

Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative (Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah) Sosiohumaniora, Vol, 22, No. 3, November 2020 387 most attractive between those zones. We saw that the most Town is placed on open space (outdoor) and accompanied crowded zones that pulled concentrations of visitors (to by loud disco music. Meanwhile, the French, with its Eiffel be used as background photos) are zones such as France, Tower, is built in the vast indoor room, displayed by the England, Germany, Italy, and also America (Gangster arrangement of the sidewalk and calm music. Likewise, the Town and Hollywood). Meanwhile, areas such as the English zone which is represented by Buckingham Palace. Chinatown, Sunda Kelapa, and Batavia zones are not as The facade of the palace is made as detailed as as possible vibrant as the western world (see Figure. 1). like the authentic one with the arrangement of the garden that makes visitors as if they were in England. The interior of this palace is full of luxurious royal cars (Roll Royce, Bentley, and Range Rover) that are displayed under gentle spotlights. In this place, there is no loud music, but classical music. More-over, in the middle of this Buckingham Palace hall, there is the Queen Elizabeth mannequin sitting on her throne and escorted by royal guards. Under this situation, especially under the gaze of the ‘queen of England,’ there is no other way for visitors to behave politely, not to speak aloud, and not forget to take pictures in a “good” manner (See figure 2). As explained by Milman, (2010: 221), as a tourist Figure 1. Batavia Zone (left) and Gangster Town (right) attraction, the entertainment offered by the museum is the Reseachers’ photo, 10/10/18 creation of the fantasy of places and times. The nuance This zone was designed by projecting and is communicated and reflected by various attributes miniaturizing western world cityscapes, as mimetic such as landscapes, architectural styles, costumes, rides, processes. The mimesis is not only in physical terms but performances, music, and staff who act as actors (Milman, also in behavioral aspects that have been demonstrated 2010, : 221). Furthermore, Milman (2010: 221) said that by visitors. For example, we observed, when visitors nowadays, the museum as an amusement park adopts the were in zones that are stereotypically known as the high uniqueness of intellectual property as the foundation of the culture or civilized such as the United Kingdom or France, theme, such as cultural commodities, landmarks, fictional visitors pretended to act politely, they strolled, calmness and non-fictional characters in which these products are was maintained, took pictures regularly, and so on. very familiar with visitors, but they have had no corporal However, this behavior is different when visitors were in experiences with them. Therefore, visitors do not just act the United States section, the Gangster Town. This place as spectators, but also as actors in pseudo space. brings the atmosphere of the mafia city in America that make visitors feel the experience as if they were in the real American city. The image build is a freedom nation, without any hierarchy, is embodied in visitor behaviors. Their behavior becomes cheerful and lively, taking many pictures of fancy poses. In contrast to England and France, as mentioned above, these places are full of politeness, but in the Gangster Town, laughing and screaming are common things that are heard, as if freed from “British feudalism.” Likewise, when visitors have arrived at the food court that is designed like a Floating Market (Pasar Apung) as well as the last stop of this museum trip. As Figure 2. Take a picture with “Queen Elizabeth” like as in their “home” or coming back home from a Reseachers’ photo, 10/10/18 long journey, visitors in the Floating Market zone were Visitors also realize about the domination of relaxing, lying down, and enjoying some meals. In this Western civilization. They feel that the Museum Angkut so case, we would like to highlight that the phenomenon of attractive because it immensely exposes the representation heterotopia that constructs these mimetic and inverted of western and American cultures and their technologies. spaces also influence how visitors behave and interact with The representation of keindonesian (Indonesian-ness) in museum objects. the museum exhibition is so superficial because it only Phenomenon above can be understood because the displays some landscapes represented by the Chinatown nuance of the duplication of the civilizations is enriched with (Pecinan), Sunda Kelapa, and Batavia Zones. Ironically, multi-sensory sensations. This nuance presents not only Sunda Kelapa, Chinatown, and Batavia display vehicles visual sensations but also audio sensations by tuning music from China, the Dutch-Indies (Colonial era), and even from particular countries as the backsound. The Gangster more Jeepneys from the Philippines.

The presence of Indonesian-ness representation photograph are ubiquitous where people can see without displayed in museum zoning tends to subject that the having to go to the Museum Angkut. For instance, some Indonesian culture is traditional, whereas the West is visitors took pictures in front of; the dining table, the house advanced and modern. The animation of technological fence, traditional market carts, a Vespa, as well as posing evolution appears when comparing the eastern represented on the zebra crossing in Gangster Town. Nevertheless, the by Indonesia to the western represented by Europe. imagination of visitors in the context of “the heterotopia,” When entering the Indonesian zone, the features makes the ordinary places turn to be another meaning. In of the mode of transportation are dominated by non- this case, being in the Museum Angkut is the “another” motorized old vehicles, such as pikulan, trishaws, cikar, world and time, creating “usual” becomes “unusual.” wagons, and the Majapahit ship. Our informant said that As explained by Crosby (2016: 5), a museum is a he was not really interested in any traditional things. cultural space that has the power to turn visitors or audiences Besides, this makes visitors feel that what is displayed to be actors. By paraphrasing Victor Turner, Crosby stated in the Museum Angkut does not really concern the value that the process of transition of the audiences into actors of Indonesian-ness, but modernity originated from the that are signified by the visitor and the museum object Western world. As one informant explained, Braga, interactions that can be defined as a process of liminality “we are in Indonesia, but why do we have very little and ritualization of post-modern society. The liminality transportation from our own country? I can count by my is an ambiguity of “between and betwixt” experienced fingers.” The interaction of visitors with museum displays, by people or groups when they become “the other” in which is quite impressive, is the attraction of the cosplay a momentary time. In this case, when visitors are in the show. On the 3rd floor zone (Runway 27 Airport section), museum circuit, they have been exposed to a blending of the management involves employees who are assigned to modern and traditional symbols, the domination of the wear clothes such as American superheroes (cosplay) and west over the east, and the prin-ciple of alienation and Air force one pilots. They invite visitors to dance together. community, which stimu-lates the experience of visitors to The dance shows accompanied by electronic music attract become “the other.” many visitors. Even more, visitors can rent a variety of costumes, for instance, in the Buckingham Palace Garden CONCLUSION zone. Even though the renting price is quite high (Rp. 40,000 / 30 minutes), there are a lot of women (despite The reading of the Museum Angkut exhibition narrative wearing headscarves) willing to queue to rent a Western above shows that there are new museum trends that occur traditional women costume, so that they can take some in post-reform Indonesia within the escalation of global pictures in the garden as if they are nurturing flowers in a culture. Cultural ideology produced in the museum rural European landscape (see figure 3). exhibition narrative is significantly different from the era of the cabinet of curiosity or self-introduction that had been implemented in the past regimes. Nowadays, the museum paradigm emphasizes entertainments, amusement park concepts, and produces popular culture discourses. In addition, as a private museum, the ideation of producing popular cultural discourse and the exhibition narrative in the Museum Angkut is strongly driven by business interests in the tourism industry (market ideology). This phenomenon is similar to the “boom” of the blockbuster museum phenomenon in the United States in the 1970s, Figure 3. Wearing European folk costume in front of as an indication of integration between museums with the “Buckingham Palace” entertainment and tourism industry (Bradburne, 2001: 76). Reseachers’ photo, 10/10/18 The ideology above constructs the narrative pattern of the By reading the response of visitors to the Museum Museum Angkut exhibition, starting from the selection of Angkut exhibitions, we can understand that this museum museum themes, display strategies, architectural styles, and is not a place to gain educative information like most attractions. The themes of transportation and architectural museums. The “having fun” activities demonstrated styles are dominated by the discourse of global culture by most visitors create this museum as a fascinating originated from European and American cultures and photo studio. Visitors not only capture the uniqueness of civilizations. Although the modes of transportation and the exhibition alone but also present themselves in the Indonesian cultural landscapes, as the representation of photographs with a variety of backgrounds. The goal is Indonesian cultures or civilizations, have been presented, simple, to save memories or to show off through social those are narrated as traditional elements that are less media, as the evidence that they have been in other “space dominant and undesirable. European and American and time.” However, some background objects of the civilization attractions displayed in the Museum Angkut Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative (Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah) Sosiohumaniora, Vol, 22, No. 3, November 2020 389 are much more attractive to visitors, from dressing up to and Signifying Practices (pp. 1–11). London: Sage be European ladies in the British section and posing cool Publication. styles in the American Gangster Town and admiring the Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1992). Museums and the Shaping dream cars. In this sense, the Museum Angkut becomes of Knowledge. London & New York: Routledge. a heterotopia (space) (Foucault & Miskowiec, 2012) where the cultural imagination of space and the sense Jawa Timur Park Group. (2017, May 20). About of the otherness are manifested into physical forms and Us: Transportasi Menembus Ruang Waktu. produced altogether with the museum and visitors. Lastly, Retrieved March 19, 2018, from https://jtp.id/ the Museum Angkut, as a popular museum in Indonesia, museumangkut/profil. can present how the museum may reflect the character of Koentjaraningrat. (1980). Sejarah Teori Antropologi I. society, as a post-colonial nation in sense of seeing self and Jakarta: UI Press. other cultures. Kompas Travel. (2016, December 13). Libur Panjang, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Jatim Park Group Dibanjiri Pengunung. Retrieved March 19, 2018, from https://travel.kompas.com/ This research was made possible by the Education read/2016/12/13/193835527libur.panjang.jatim. Development Fund grant (DPP/SPP) Faculty of Cultural park.group.dibanjiri.pengunjung. Sciences, Brawijaya University, we received in 2018. We are deeply indebted to Dwi Cahyono (Universitas Negeri Lidchi, H. (1997). The Poetics and The Politics of Malang) for his museum information and Museum Angkut Exhibiting Other Cultures. In Stuart Hall (Ed.), staff for giving a permit to this research to be carried out. Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices (pp. 151–208). London: Sage REFERENCES Publication. Anderson, B.R.O. (1991). Imagined Communities: Macdonald, S. J. (2003). Museums, National, Postnational Reflections on The Origin and Spread of and Transcultural Identities. Museum and Society, Nationalism. London & New York: Verso. 1–16. Asosiasi Museum Indonesia. (n.d.). Profil Museum di Marsanto, K. (2012). Ekshibisi, Kekuasaan, dan Identitas: Seluruh Indonesia. Retrieved December 23, Tafsir atas Politik. Indonesian Journal of Social 2018, from http://asosiasimuseumindonesia.org/ and Cultural Anthropology, 33, (1), 43–62. anggota.html. McGregor, K. (2003). Representing the Indonesian Past: Balloffet, P., Courvoisier, F. H., & Lagier, J. (2014). From The National Monument History Museum from Museum to Amusement Park: The Opportunities Guided Democracy to the New Order. Indonesia, and Risks of Edutainment. International Journal 75 (April 2003), 91–122. Retrieved from http:// of Arts Management, 16, (4), 4–18. www.jstor.org/stable/3351309. Bradburne, J. M. (2001). A New Strategic Approach to the Metro Tv News. (2017, July 9). Pengunjung Museum Museum and its Relationship to Society. Museum Nasional Melonjak. Retrieved March19, Management and Curatorship, 19, (1), 75-84. 2018, from http://news.metrotvnews.com/ https://doi.org/10.1080/09647770100701901. read/2017/07/09/726673/pengunjung-museum- Clifford, J. (1985). Objects and Selves: An Afterwords. In nasional-melonjak. J.George W. Stocking (Ed.), Objects and Others: Milman, A. (2010). The Global Theme Park essay on Museums and Material Culture (pp. 236– Industry. Worldwide Hospitality and 246). Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Tourism Themes, 2, (3), 220–237. https://doi. Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv4cbhbg.41. org/10.1108/17554211011052177. Crosby, N. (2016). In Search of Heterotopia : Immersive Munandar, A. ., Perdana, A., Andriyanti, R., Anissa, G., Experiences in the Museum. Master’s Thesis Asiarto, L., Supardi, N., Arbi, Y. (2011). Sejarah Central Washington University. Permuseuman di Indonesia (Vol. 53). Jakarta: Foucault, M., & Miskowiec, J. (2012). Texts/ Contexts of Direktorat Permuseuman, Direkorat Jenderal Other Spaces. Diacritics, 16, (1), 22–27. Retrieved Sejarah dan Purbakala, Kementerian Pariwisata from https://www.jstor.org/stable/464648. dan Ekonomi Kreatif. Geertz, C. (1992). Tafsir Kebudayaan. Yogyakarta: Nuffida, N. E., Prijotomo, J., & Rachmawati, M. (2016). Kanisius. Fenomena ‘Entertainment Architecture’ di Indonesia dan Perkembangan dalam Arsitektur. Hall, S. (2003). The Work of Representation. In Stuart Hall EMARA: Indonesian Journal of Architecture, 2, (2), (Ed.), Representation: Cultural Representation 53–60. https://doi.org/10.29080/emara.v2i2.20. Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative (Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah) 390 Sosiohumaniora, Vol, 22, No. 3, November 2020

Rath, A. (1997). Cultural Sublimation: The Museuming og Tribunnews Surya Malang. (2017, October 23). Museum Indonesia. Journal of the Southeast Asian Studies Angkut Kota Batu raih penghargaan museum Student Association, 1, (February), 1–22. terbaik seindonesia, ini alasannya. Retrieved March19, 2018, from http://suryamalang. Rectanus, M.W. (2006). Globalization: Incorporating tribunnews.com/2017/10/23/museum-angkut- the Museum. In S.Macdonald (Ed.), A kota-batu-raih-penghargaan-museum-terbaik-se- Companion to Museum Studies (pp. 381–397). indonesia-ini-alasannya. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. https://doi. org/10.1002/9780470996836. Wardoyo, M., & Zef, R. O. (2020). Open Museum As a Tool for Culture Sustainability: Prambanan Svašek, M. (2007). Anthropology, Art and Cultural Temple Study Case. Sosiohumaniora, 22, (1), Production. London & Ann Arbor: Pluto Press. 72–78. https://doi.org/10.24198/sosiohumaniora. Taylor, P. M. (1995). Collecting Icons of Power v22i1.23786. and Identity: Transformation of Indonesian Material Culture in the Museum Context. Cultural Dynamics, 7, (1), 101–124. https://doi. org/10.1177/092137409500700105

Reading the Museum Angkut: Cultural Space Production and Exhibition Narrative (Nindyo Budi Kumoro, Irsyad Martias, Manggala Ismanto, Hipolitus K. Kewuel, Andi A. Saifullah, and Jihananda M. Egidyah)